Chocolate cake recipe ideas that take the cake

Whether you’re celebrating a milestone or craving something out of the ordinary with your cup of tea, there’s no denying the joy that a chocolate cake brings. Add cacao powder or melted chocolate, olive oil or butter to your batter — they’re all winning combinations in our eyes.

We have a plethora of exquisite chocolate cake recipes for every baker, from easy-to-assemble chocolate cakes to tiered masterpieces. Whatever your abilities, one thing is clear: when it comes to chocolate cakes, one slice is never enough.

Discover a host of indulgent variations, like our easy chocolate cake with fudge icing, our chilli chocolate lava cake, Aaron Turner’s Mum’s chocolate ripple cake and our irresistible salted chocolate layer cake with whipped ganache — for those who want to take their chocolate cake recipes to the next level.

Our guide to how to make a chocolate mousse cake will have you baking every week, while our torta caprese is a simple chocolate cake recipe that’s low effort, maximum flavour. And although we always gush over the cake itself, a silky dark chocolate buttercream frosting, fudgy ganache or sweet icing can take a cake into another realm of decadence. Just be sure to let the cakes cool completely before icing for the best results!

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Without further adieu, here is our collection of the best chocolate cake recipe ideas for any (and every) occasion.

Salted chocolate layer cake with whipped ganache

This is the chocolate cake to save for a special occasion.

How to make a chocolate mousse cake

Chocolate fiends will love the triple-hit in this irresistible chocolate mousse cake. Catherine Adams shows how it’s done.

Chocolate and salted honey cake with honeycomb

Layers and layers of heavenly honey cream and chocolate sponge.

Chilli and chocolate lava cake on plate with spoon and red napkins.

Chilli chocolate lava cake

Chocoholics delight, because this chocolate lava cake is all things spiced, gooey and delicious.

Flourless chocolate, hazelnut and buttermilk cake

Flourless chocolate cake with hazelnut and buttermilk

Every great baker needs a great flourless chocolate cake recipe. Here’s the one we swear by.

Chocolate cake with fudge icing

This simple recipe is everything you want a chocolate cake to be: rich, dense and generously iced.

Flour and Stone’s chocolate Manjari cake

The famous signature chocolate Manjari cake by Nadine Ingram from Sydney bakery Flour & Stone.

Gâteau Opéra

A buttercream and coffee-soaked layered sponge cake as dramatic as Madama Butterfly.

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Chocolate ricotta cake

This perfect match of rich chocolate and airy ricotta makes for an irresistible cake.

Dark chocolate mousse cake

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for dark chocolate mousse cake.

Aaron Turner’s Mum’s chocolate ripple cake

Recreate the Igni chef’s favourite childhood cake for your next celebration.

Chocolate and coffee fudge cakes with Bourbon chocolate sauce

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for chocolate and coffee fudge cakes with Bourbon chocolate sauce.

Chocolate, prune and walnut cake with sherry and chocolate ganache

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for chocolate, prune and walnut cake with sherry and chocolate ganache.

Chocolate truffle layer cake

A buttermilk cake is layered with a chocolate truffle mousse for a wonderfully decadent cake, perfect for parties and celebrations.

Chocolate lamington cake

Chocolate sponge cake soaked in chocolate panna cotta and spread with a dark chocolate glaze: this is one serious chocolate cake.

Chocolate cherry fudge and coconut ice-cream cake

Recipe for chocolate cherry fudge and coconut ice-cream cake.

Fudgy chocolate-cherry cake

Think of this as a very glamorous and very modern version of a Black Forest cake.

Chocolate-hazelnut meringue cake

Dense and fudgy chocolate cake contrasts beautifully with feather-light chocolate meringue in this moreish cake.

Chocolate and buttermilk slab cake

Buttermilk is the bakers’ secret weapon here, adding a subtle tang to the sweet frosting and contributing to an ultra-tender crumb in the cake itself. Try it for yourself and see.

Dark chocolate, pear and pistachio cake

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for dark chocolate, pear and pistachio cake from Tartine in Armadale, Victoria

Chocolate raspberry layer cake

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for chocolate raspberry layer cake.

Chocolate and beetroot cake

Australian Gourmet Traveller dessert recipe for chocolate and beetroot cake.

Chocolate and hazelnut cake with espresso ganache

This fudgy, meringue-based cake is the perfect finale to a sophisticated dinner party.

Beetroot chocolate mud cakes

Pete Evans recipe for beetroot chocolate mud cakes.

Chocolate-coffee crêpe cake

Fluffy crêpe and whipped truffle cream alternate with crunchy praline in this stunner of a dessert.

Chocolate raspberry meringue cake

A layered meringue cake that will impress as soon as it hits the table for dessert.

Chocolate mousse cakes

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Christine Manfield’s chocolate mousse cakes.

Rich chocolate mousse cake

A rich chocolate cake that makes a glittering impression on guests.

Chocolate, apricot and rum pound cake

It’s not what you’d call a traditional pound cake. It calls for different quantities of flour, sugar, eggs and butter, but know this – it is delicious.

Hazelnut-chocolate cake

Hazelnut-chocolate cake recipe- For mocha meringue, preheat oven to 100C, and lineand ½ tsp sea salt in an electric mixer until glossy soft peaks form (3-4 minutes).

photo of colourful table setting with rectancgular ice-cream cake topped with chocolate crumb in the centre

Chocolate coconnetta parfait cake

Inspired by the nostalgic Viennetta ice-cream cake, this fun dessert is sure to delight at any party.

Crowd-pleasing chocolate cake with roast rhubarb

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for crowd-pleasing chocolate cake with roast rhubarb.

Venetian chocolate cake with star anise gelato

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Venetian chocolate cake with star anise gelato by Assaggio Ristorante in Adelaide.

Rich chocolate cake

Australian Gourmet Traveller dessert recipe for rich chocolate cake

Author Monique Foy Senior Content Producer

An English major with a penchant for anchovies on toast and the ocean, Monique Foy got her start at Gourmet Traveller after an existential crisis and career pivot. Following her time as a digital marketer at global media agencies and a short stint as an SEO writer, Monique threw caution to the wind one Wednesday and decided to pursue her true passion – writing, of the food and drinks variety. Since then, she’s had her work published in Broadsheet and Urban List, and she joins Gourmet Traveller as Senior Content Producer with the intention to continue adding funky venues and quaint new wine bars to her growing iPhone notes section.

The Gourmet Traveller Team

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.

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